Noticed
by Vyctori
Summary: Making contracts with Summon Spirits is easy now for Sheena...or at least, that's what it appears. And, save for one person, no one else really notices that all is not as well for her as it seems.


Noticed  
_Vyctori_

**A/N:** Dedicated to my adopted little sister, Shadow-Dragon5, for being exactly who she is.

**Warnings:** Het and Zelos' twisted idea of what makes a compliment.

**Disclaimer:** _Tales of Symphonia _is not mine.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Ta-ta, Celsius, my cool beauty!" Zelos waved as the form of the female summon condensed into a sparkling blue point of light that lit up the chilly cavern.

The entire group watched as, in front of the altar, the light descended slowly—almost dramatically, if such a thing was what a Summon Spirit would do—until it rested in front of Sheena. The summoner reached out and touched the light, which flared briefly and disappeared into her body, leaving the room in which they were standing dim and somehow smaller.

"All right, Sheena! You got another Summon Spirit!" Genis jumped in the air in excitement, his breath puffing out in small clouds.

"Yup!" Sheena smiled and nodded a few times. "Just a few more to go!"

Raine put a hand to her chin, thinking. "It looks as though we missed the other half of the mana link; it must still be in Sylvarant."

"Guess that means we're heading there next." Lloyd started walking towards the exit. "Now let's go. I'm kinda bored."

"Lloyd, you're _always_ bored!" Genis jogged after him. His quick footsteps crunched in the snow.

"Am not!" Lloyd protested as the others fell in something of a line behind him. "Lots of things are exciting! It's just this that's getting a little old, that's all."

"Whatever, Lloyd." Genis wore the look of a tolerant elder.

After a brief period of icy backtracking—which was especially difficult for Regal—the group exited the temple and started to pilot the Rheairds back to Flanoir. As they were zipping through the skies, the general discussion turned from their next goal back to their recently completed one.

"You're getting so much more confident, now, Sheena!" Colette smiled at her. "Watching you back there, you'd never know you were so nervous before!"

"Y-yeah." Sheena tried to return her smile.

Zelos, hearing the beginnings of the conversation, zoomed up on his Rheaird. "Yep. Obviously, our lovely Sheena didn't just luck out in the chest department—she's talented, too!"

Sheena leaned over and gave the Chosen a mighty thwack with one hand. "Zelos! Will you _ever_ shut up about my chest?"

"Not as long as it's there in all its full, bouncing glory! Ouch!" Zelos' attempt to dodge the next hit was completely unsuccessful. Even when he tried to pilot his Rheaird away from Sheena, he couldn't escape the wrath of the ninja, since she simply pursued him. "Hey, knock it off—ow! Don't you know how to take a compli—that _hurt_, Sheena!"

Raine, ahead, stopped the forward motion of her machine, allowing it to hover in the air, and turned it around. "All right, now, that's enough. Save your energy for the enemy, you two."

"My apologies, beautiful Professor." Zelos gave her a big smile and accelerated to catch up with her.

"Sorry, Raine, but . . . gah, you know how he can get!" Sheena sighed. "Stupid Chosen," she went on to herself as Raine and Zelos started moving again. "He's so insensitive. Never thinking of anyone but himself. . . ."

"I'm sure that's not true, Sheena," Colette said, having overheard Sheena's words. "He just kind of shows his care in a more, um, unusual way."

Sheena jerked, startled; she had forgotten about the other Chosen flying next to her. Then she attempted to smile again. "If you say so, Colette." She looked ahead to where Zelos was pestering Raine and sighed again. "I'll just have to take your word for it."

-

During supper that evening, no one noticed that Sheena was a little quieter than usual. They all were caught up in their usual chatter about the day's events, where they would go next, and other innocuous things. And almost nobody noticed when she got up and walked away from the camp, putting her training from Mizuho to good use.

However, one person did notice, and he got up—somewhat less stealthily—and followed her.

After a brief walk, he found her standing in the cold snow, facing the wind and looking very alone. As he approached, he could see a small bell cupped in her hand. She was jingling it absently, eyes looking at but not seeing the small scrap of metal that was dangling from her fingertips.

Normally, he'd approach her with his usual loud praise—or what he thought of as praise, anyway—even when she was in a pensive mood like that moment. But this time, he held back. He wasn't quite sure why.

"Hi, Sheena," he said, coming to stand next to her.

Her dark-haired head didn't move. "Hi, Zelos." Her voice was her only acknowledgement.

There was a silence, which was then broken by Sheena.

"What's going on?" she asked. "No immature comments about my body? And where's your usual top-of-the-lungs talk, anyway?"

Zelos shrugged, although he knew she wasn't looking at him. "Even an insensitive jerk like me can tell when someone's hurting. What's up, Sheena?"

"It—it's nothing. R-really." Sheena pocketed the bell hastily. "I guess we should rejoin the others at the camp, huh?"

As she started to leave, Zelos placed a hand on her shoulder. "Not yet. First I want to know what's bothering you."

She looked at him for the first time, no doubt startled by the unusually kind contact. "It's . . . I said it was nothing, okay?"

Zelos tilted his head and gave her one of his half-smiles, the one that let her know he wasn't being quite as much of an idiot as usual. "You're lying. If Lloyd were here, he'd probably say one of his Dwarven Vow things, something about lying being the path to thievery or whatnot."

Sheena didn't say anything. After a moment, Zelos spoke again.

"It's about Corrine, isn't it?"

She looked like she wanted to protest, but didn't know what to protest about. She let her head drop slightly. "Yes. . . . It's been awhile since I lost him, but . . . I can't stop thinking about him. Making the pact with Celsius today reminded me of him and how he. . . ." She stopped and took a deep breath. "He . . . he was one of my only friends for a long time."

"One of your only friends, huh?" was all Zelos said.

"Don't laugh at me!" Sheena burst out. "And don't you dare pity me, either!"

Zelos held up both hands in front of his face. "Hey, calm down. I'm not doing either."

There's that half-smile again, Sheena noticed. Why is he being so understanding? Why isn't he being such a—a pervert?

Zelos turned so he was facing away from her. He studied the clear, cold night sky for a bit. "I'm just thinking . . . you and I . . . we're actually pretty alike."

"You?" Sheena's voice was filled with disbelief. "But—but you're Tethe'alla's Chosen! Everyone loves you! Especially the women," she couldn't help adding.

"They do, don't they?" His voice was thoughtful. "I suppose they do love the Chosen, don't they?"

"Of . . . of course." Sheena wasn't quite sure what he was getting at.

"But do they love Zelos Wilder? That's the real question." He still was facing away from her, and his voice was so soft she wasn't even sure he was talking to her anymore.

What could she say to that? Sheena wondered. Could she say anything at all?

No, she decided. But. . . .

She took a few steps towards him and then, nervously, took hold of his hand. She didn't look at him, but she heard fabric shift and hair slip against his body as he turned to look at her. With her free hand, she felt into her pocket for Corrine's bell.

And they stood and watched the stars until Colette found them.


End file.
